DIY Period Panties

 I am cheap.  I hate spending money on things that are used once and then thrown away.  It just feels wasteful especially if you are on a tight budget.  

So I made my own.  I took store bought underwear, in a style that I liked to wear, and turned them into my own period panties.  I used the store bought underwear to make a template for making the pad the size and shape I needed.  I am not perfect at this part and the majority of mine were a little wider than the crotch of the underwear.  But you know what, they still worked just fine so I am happy.

This consists of a waterproof pad that is attached to the panties.  First, I made the pad.  The top fabric is simple cotton quilting material that you can get anywhere.  I got mine from Walmart.  The center material I used diaper fabric.  This you want to be most absorbent that you can, some people use Zorb (available on Amazon), but diaper fabric is cheaper and easier for me to get locally since I can get it at Walmart too.

The last layer is a waterproof material.  I used PUL that I ordered on Fabric.com.  They have many styles and patterns too, but I went with whatever they had on clearance since this won't be seen anyway.  PUL material has a pattern on one side (if you have a solid color fabric, the shiny side is the wrong side) and a shiny side that creates the waterproof barrier.  

I attach the diaper fabric to the wrong side of the cotton material.  I sew all the way around the diaper fabric, then add lines running long ways to make wicking areas.  This helps pull the liquid into the diaper fabric quicker which helps the top cotton material stay dryer against your skin and create one cohesive layer. 

I then put the PUL material pattern side to the right side of the cotton fabric.  Then I sew all the way around this stack, making sure to leave an opening to turn the pad right side out.   Then I sew around the pad again making sure to catch the area that I had left open to turn it and creating top stitching around the entire pad.  

Then I take that pad, with the PUL material touching the purchased underwear and sew along the crotch seams to attach it in place.  Then you're done.  You now have your own period panties.  

Watch the video here:

See ya soon!

Danielle